Until relatively recently, the Indiana University Art Museum was a collection without a building. In 1941 president Herman B. Wells first conceived of the collection, which slowly grew out of the generosity of alumni and collectors until a museum facility was completed in 1982. Like all university art museums, its main purpose is to serve as a teaching museum; thus the collection focuses on the best examples from each medium, location, and historical period. Some readers may be less than impressed with the size of certain collections, but the quality of the art they contain cannot be disputed. This catalogue is particularly interesting for its African, Pacific, and South American collections, the quality of which may be attributed directly to eminent African art historian Roy Sieber, who served as curator for the collection from 1962 through the 1980s. Not surprisingly the largest amount of space is given over to this collection, with ancient and Asian collections running a close second. By contrast, the museum's Western art collections would seem almost like an afterthought, if it weren't for the engaging essays that accompany each piece. This catalogue would best serve the needs of college, university, and museum libraries with large art museum publication collections. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above.
M. Miller
Choice
This catalogue is particularly interesting for its African, Pacific, and South American collections, the quality of which may be attributed directly to eminent African art historian Roy Sieber, who served as curator for the collection from 1962 through the 1980s. . . . Recommended.September 2008
M. Miller
Metropolitan Community College—Longview Campus Library